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But it probably wouldn't hurt to have three complementary superstars. It depends on what's available. There's a delicate balance when considering the 3rd star or the role players. Neither one is a guarantee and both have pros and cons.

We have two big bodies with a post game, Melo and STAT (more so him abusing bigs with his strength and athleticism than it is an actual post game) both have reliable mid range shots, both can finish around the rim. STAT doesn't control the ball, he's a big, he needs it fed to him...so you shouldn't have situations (in the right system) like LBJ and Wade where one becomes lackadaisical and chills out on the perimeter , while the other walks it up the court and uses picks and drives. So if you give CP3 the reigns to that and let him have fun like a kid on the play ground...I don't even know how to articulate the awesomeness of that. And we all know what Dwight brings...that's a given. Shawne Williams can theoretically serve in the "Mike Miller" role, except without getting paid as much and being less of a douchenozzle (I know his baby daughter is sick, but I still don't like the guy.)

And then on the other hand, we can just add a few pieces here and there and hope we can get enough quality depth to make a realistic run. But it has to be the right players at the right price.

Personally, I don't think cap flexibility should mean as much as it once did. Flexibility is all the rage for teams who need to start rebuilding or just shed bad contracts, teams who are on the upswing and are a few moves away from being actual contenders say "**** it" and bring on all the quality they can get (adding Tyson Chandler right after you re-up Haywood?)

If I have to choose between Beno Udrih (who's game I like), whoever plays SG, Melo, Amar'e, and JJ, or Dalembert, or Turiaf, or guys of this caliber vs. CP3, Melo, Amar'e or Melo, Amar'e, Dwight, and who ever the **** else....I chose option 2 or 2a.

Now....if we can get the Jason Kidds, Jason Terrys, Shawn Marrions, Tyson Chandlers, and JJ Bareas...then I say screw the 3rd superstar and lets role with those "role" players...but if we can't necessarily acquire that many guys of that caliber (quantity AND quality) but the new CBA somehow lets us finagle a way into acquiring CP3 or Dwight....you make that move 100 times out of 100 times. Don't outthink yourself.

As much as the idea of lining up with Chris Paul, Shooting Guard X, Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, Centre X or Point Guard X, Shooting Guard X, Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, Dwight Howard is incredibly appealing and mouth watering, it only takes one of those three to get a serious injury and another to have an off night/slump in form at any time and we're in a worse position that after the Melo trade when Billups was injured - two superstars but ultimately little-to-no support.
Getting some decent role players who compliment Amar'e and Melo would IMO be more beneficial, both in providing cover for the stars, taking some of the burden and making up for their weaknesses. Get a huge centre to protect the paint covering Amar'e's suspect interior defense and take the hits from other big guys in the league and a lights out shooter to spot up when teams double Melo or restrict space from 20 feet inwards and you become harder to beat.

Full disclosure, I am one of the biggest proponent of CP3 coming here. But 3 superstars is not a must. In fact it can hurt chemistry. Like game 4 Wade was doing his thing but that leaves a player like Lebron on an island. Lebron doesnt have a game like Pierce or Ray Allen, where they can run of screens. Lebron cant do that, or hasnt put that in his game yet.

Now CP3 is a pg. His job and his talent is to share the ball. But superstars put the ball in their own hands in the end. Will that hurt Melo from doing his closing thing. Will that hurt STAT, who led the NBA in 4th qtr scoring this past season? If CP3 comes here, unlike the Heat our three can catch and shoot.

But a big three is not necessary. But we need to match in our best 5. If there best five equals toa 99 power rating, then out top five should be 99 as well or have better chemistry.

Full disclosure, I am one of the biggest proponent of CP3 coming here. But 3 superstars is not a must. In fact it can hurt chemistry. Like game 4 Wade was doing his thing but that leaves a player like Lebron on an island. Lebron doesnt have a game like Pierce or Ray Allen, where they can run of screens. Lebron cant do that, or hasnt put that in his game yet.

Now CP3 is a pg. His job and his talent is to share the ball. But superstars put the ball in their own hands in the end. Will that hurt Melo from doing his closing thing. Will that hurt STAT, who led the NBA in 4th qtr scoring this past season? If CP3 comes here, unlike the Heat our three can catch and shoot.

But a big three is not necessary. But we need to match in our best 5. If there best five equals toa 99 power rating, then out top five should be 99 as well or have better chemistry.

+1 Rep for that post, man!

The Mavericks are beating the Heat right now because they have players on their squad that match up better against them. The defense of Shawn Marion and Tyson Chandler is really what has kept the Mavericks alive so far in the postseason; without Tyson Chandler they probably wouldn't even have gotten past the Lakers.

If we can play better team basketball than they do then we don't NEED three superstars--if we can get a center who can patrol the paint incredibly well, a PG who can play lockdown defense, and improve our team defense as a whole as well as find those roleplayers who can make clutch shots and come off the bench to lock down the other team defensively, then we don't need a third superstar. But finding good roleplayers is much easier said than done - it's not every day you find a guy of Bruce Bowen's caliber on defense who can also hit the open 3, and it's not everyday you get tough two-way players like Shawn Marion.

What our new GM will have to do is just find the best deal available at the time...nothing can happen until the new CBA and then we just have to fix it accordingly.

Having three superstars is definitley not a MUST to win an NBA Title, but it certainly would help. Having a guy like cp3 running point on this team is so much of a difference than an old Billups and an On/Off TD23.

Like the Mavs are clearly demonstrating, it doesn't take just superstars to win the title, ONE in Dirk is clearly enough- But what the Mavericks have is a whole TEAM that can communicate and play. They have above average guys that can come off the bench and provide an immediate spark to the offense, such as JTerry and Barea, which we don't have. I think it would be much easiter to try and go after a Cp3, or another star before the trading deadline next year, instead of finding more role-players that can fit in and become that spark off the bench or solid starter.

Having CP3 after we give up what we have to in order to get him, I think we can then build around our 3 superstars, and become a team to be reckoned with.

Having a one superstar, but solid team can work in gaining a Title like the Mavs will do in beating the Heat (Ha DuckTales) but having a 3rd superstar on this team will most certainly make doing that much easier.

The more superstars the better. Winning it all depends on the cohesion of the team and the savvy leadership of the coach. Miami haves 3, but I believe most of their coaching goes thru Wade and Bron...not so much their coach.

If the CBA allows the Heats big three to stay together I gotta say YES. Although I LOVE D12 if we could add CP3 we'd be in much better position to win it all. Not just win it all, I'm talking setting NBA records. This kid is a cold hearted, pick you apart, assassin. He's not backing down from taking the big shot from anywhere on the court. The beautiful thing is with STAT & Melo he doesnt have to take it, and he knows it. These three together would put entirely too much offensive pressure on every team in the league.

If the CBA allows the Heats big three to stay together I gotta say YES. Although I LOVE D12 if we could add CP3 we'd be in much better position to win it all. Not just win it all, I'm talking setting NBA records. This kid is a cold hearted, pick you apart, assassin. He's not backing down from taking the big shot from anywhere on the court. The beautiful thing is with STAT & Melo he doesnt have to take it, and he knows it. These three together would put entirely too much offensive pressure on every team in the league.

So, you don't think sharing the ball and being the "man" would be a problem? There's already talk of Lebron taking a backseat to wade in these finals and its effecting his reputation etc..

First off, obviously you don't NEED 3 superstars to win it all lots of teams have done it with 2 and we already have 2... Great, right?

Not really, because our supporting cast is nowhere near where it needs to be. Fields and Douglas are bench players, even though I love Fields he is not a starting 2 and we have to fill that void. Also none of our bench really has the ice cold veteran experience needed to go into high pressure games and just play ball (except maybe AC).

Like nuckles said, if we had players like Kidd, Terry, Marion, Peja ok we wouldn't be in such a bad spot. But we don't, and our ability to add that kind of player is not good especially when you have every vet who never won a ring going all starry eyed over South Beach.

Originally Posted by Blumatic

Full disclosure, I am one of the biggest proponent of CP3 coming here. But 3 superstars is not a must. In fact it can hurt chemistry. Like game 4 Wade was doing his thing but that leaves a player like Lebron on an island. Lebron doesnt have a game like Pierce or Ray Allen, where they can run of screens. Lebron cant do that, or hasnt put that in his game yet.

Now CP3 is a pg. His job and his talent is to share the ball. But superstars put the ball in their own hands in the end. Will that hurt Melo from doing his closing thing. Will that hurt STAT, who led the NBA in 4th qtr scoring this past season? If CP3 comes here, unlike the Heat our three can catch and shoot.

But a big three is not necessary. But we need to match in our best 5. If there best five equals toa 99 power rating, then out top five should be 99 as well or have better chemistry.

The one thing I love about the CP3-Melo-Stat combo above the Miami big 3 is that all of those players have proven to be clutch. Bosh especially and to some extent Lebron are pretty weak when it comes down to crunch time. Lucky for Miami they have Wade who can and will turn it on at will.

Out of CP3-Melo-Stat the only one who is questionable down the stretch is Stat but I will keep my fingers crossed that his shying away from the ball in some of those big games was due to injury/lack of chemistry in the team at that point.

If I was a Heat fan I would have been screaming at my TV the last 2 games where Lebron keeps banging his head against the wall trying to go clutch. For some reason for a player who can literally get to the rim at will, he loves to take a big 3 point shot when he is not a good 3 point shooter. I think maybe because DWade has a ring and Bosh has never had the opportunity before, that they defer to LBJ because he is the one who has been so close yet come up short.

So, you don't think sharing the ball and being the "man" would be a problem? There's already talk of Lebron taking a backseat to wade in these finals and its effecting his reputation etc..

If Paul came here he'd assume leadership of the team. There's no doubt in my mind. He is the ultimate floor general and leader, he'd be the best player on the team and Amare and Melo would depend on him nightly to get them the ball.